Selfdiscovery and growth from "summary" of It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Belly had been through a lot since she last visited Cousins Beach. Losing her mother was a pain that cut deep, leaving her feeling lost and adrift. It was a wound that she carried with her everywhere, a reminder of the fragility of life and the inevitability of loss. But as she returned to the familiar shores of Cousins Beach, she could feel something shifting inside of her. Being back in the place where she had spent so many summers with her family brought a sense of nostalgia, but also a sense of renewal. The salty air, the crashing waves, the warmth of the sun on her skin - it all felt like coming home. And as she spent time with her friends, Conrad and Jeremiah, she began to see herself in a new light.
Conrad had always been the one she had a crush on, the one she had imagined a future with. But as she got to know him better, she started to realize that maybe he wasn't the person she had thought he was. His brooding nature and his tendency to push people away were not qualities that she wanted in a partner.
Jeremiah, on the other hand, was someone she had always seen as a friend. But as they spent more time together, she began to see him in a different way. He was kind, funny, and caring - everything that Conrad wasn't. And as she navigated the complexities of her feelings for both boys, she also began to understand herself better.
She saw that she was stronger than she had thought, that she was capable of moving on from her grief and finding happiness again. She realized that she didn't need a boy to define her, that she was her own person with her own dreams and desires. And as she embraced this newfound sense of self, she felt a sense of growth and empowerment that she had never experienced before.
Through her journey of self-discovery and growth, Belly learned that it was okay to let go of the past and embrace the future. She learned that it was okay to change and evolve, to let go of old dreams and pursue new ones. And as she stood on the beach, watching the sun set over the horizon, she knew that she was ready to face whatever came next with courage and grace.
